Elk River man accused of grooming sisters at daycare center

A 50-year-old Elk River, Minnesota, man is accused of grooming 6-year-old and 8-year-old sisters at an at-home daycare run by his wife while she was out voting.

The charging documents say that while the younger children were down for a nap on Tuesday afternoon, the man went into the living room and offered Skittles to the two sisters. He put the Skittles in his pocket and told them to go get them if they wanted one. They then went into his office, and the man showed the girls his penis, court documents say.

He is charged with two counts of attempted criminal sexual conduct, two counts of grooming and one count of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The daycare center is under investigation and its license has been temporarily suspended.

The Elk River man is one of the first people charged in Minnesota with grooming, which was made a felony in Minnesota earlier this year. The legislation was introduced after a WCCO Investigative series where Hannah LoPresto shared what she calls the grooming and sexual assault by her high school band director.

Information about grooming and child sexual assault, along with resources for survivors and tips for starting conversations about grooming at home can be found at the Zero Abuse Project.

For more resources on sexual assault and grooming, click here.